FilmDayton

The Mandalay Banquet Center was the hot spot for breakfast cocktails today as the 4th Bloody Mary Showdown kicked off this morning at 11am. Produced by Planned2Give this fundraiser pitted nineteen area bartenders against each other, all putting their own twist on this classic cocktail, powered by Svedka Vodka. VIP ticket holders started the morning off with a buffet breakfast before the taping and at 11:45am the doors opened to general admission ticket holders as well making for a packed house! There were spicy drinks, and sweet drinks and even a green tomato bloody mary. Garnishes ranged from home make pork rinds, to shrimp, chicken wings, cheese, tomatoes, pickles and some glasses had rims dusted with celery salt, spices and so much more!

The Winner from the last two years, Scott Conrad, who competed from The Vue, retired from competition, but was still on hand sampling his winning mix, now being bottlled and sold at retail as RAD’S Bloody Mary Mix. Pictured to the right with Scott is Heather Robinson, who was the liquor rep who helped pull off the original Showdown several years ago.
Also on hand to sample their canned cocktails was Cutwater Spirits, a new entry into the Dayton market. Their pre-mixed cans are just perfect for cabrewing or tailgating!

At 1:45pm the 50/50 raffle was drawn and $750 was raised for FilmDayton, this years charity partner, while Angela Wooten from Piqua walked away with $750. Raffle prizes including Snow Globes from Stewardship Resources, local restaurant gift certificates and 937 Party Bus. were also auctioned off and finally at 2pm the winners were declared:

Best Table Decor: TJ Chumps

Best Garnish: TJ Chumps

Deviled egg with a candied bacon

Best Bloody Mary:

3rd place: The Bloody Derby made with Old Forester created by Brook Paxon of The Troll Pub

The Troll Pub’s bloody started with a splash of Old Forester bourbon, then bloody mix, and lastly Svedka vodka!

8 o’clock this morning was my on-line ticketing window to secure tickets for the second half of the festival. I got up early (with very little sleep), showered and got ready for the day and logged on right at 8:00…and the system was down. I stuck around for another 15-20 minutes, hoping it would be back up. At about 8:30, I decided to pack everything and hustle to the physical box office (which means I missed my first screening of the day). Luckily, I beat the crowds of people who were also experiencing technical difficulties and I secured all the other tickets I wanted for the next several days.

My first screening was instead at 10:45. FREE SOLO, directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin, was another film that my PR friend highly recommended (I had more faith in this film than I did in CLIMAX as it comes from the directors of MERU – which was wonderful). Here’s the brief description from TIFF: “The documentarian duo behind 2015’s acclaimed Meru return to high altitudes, this time as renowned rock climber Alex Honnold attempts to do what no climber has done before: ascend free solo — without safety ropes — up the 3,000-foot cliff of El Capitan in California’s Yosemite National Park.” More than just an outdoor adventure documentary, this film is also a very interesting character study about a man who had to teach himself how to hug (because it’s something people do – but he never had). I never knew or understood exactly how much planning would go into something like this, and it’s pretty spectacular. The last 10 minutes become incredibly emotional – for Alex’s girlfriend, the entire camera crew and the viewer.

WILDLIFE, directed by Paul Dano, was my second film of the day. “In Paul Dano’s evocative and emotional directorial debut, a teenage boy (Ed Oxenbould) in 1960s Montana experiences the breakdown of his parents’ marriage and his mother’s (Carey Mulligan) struggle to keep their lives afloat after his father (Jake Gyllenhaal) leaves.” This low-key and quietly observed film is about a boy who is caught in the middle of his parents’ discontent. It’s a slow burn that actually packs quite a punch. The production design is lovely, the performances are strong, and the “small town America” vibe seems just right. One issue I had with the film was the teenage boy. Though playing 14, at times it seemed like he’s pushing 25…he just has a certain look that is hard to nail down an age. At the end of the day, it’s a really well-made film, and I think Dano will have quite a career as a director (and IFC is going to push for an Oscar nomination for Mulligan).

After the screening, I came back to my apartment and tended to some NEON business before heading to IFC’s WILDLIFE party. I met a few new folks (cinema operators and a critic) and enjoyed some deliciously crafted cocktails. Mulligan and Dano were at the party and seemed quite at ease…they know they have a great film on their hands.

THE OLD MAN & THE GUN, directed by David Lowery, was my last film of the day. With scenes shot partially in Dayton, I was all the more interested to see this film. And boy was I happily surprised. Here’s the TIFF synopsis: “Academy Award winners Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek lead an all-star cast, including Danny Glover, Tom Waits, Elisabeth Moss, and Casey Affleck, in director David Lowery’s true-life dramedy about an unrepentant bank robber and jail-breaker determined to live life by his own rules.” This is one of the best films I’ve seen so far at TIFF 2018. It’s tender and funny and laced with (non-sappy) cinematic nostalgia. I think it’s a gem, and I’m delighted that we are set to open it on Oct. 12. (Our FilmDayton preview on Oct. 11 has already sold out!) Take a look at this new trailer. Dayton (though playing the part of St. Louis in the film) is featured quite a bit!

And now I need to finish up my NEON weekly newsletter. If all goes as planned, I’ll be back to five films tomorrow.

Lisa Grigsby used her experience in the restaurant business to succeed in the comedy club world. She leveraged that experience to launch an event planning business, market Dayton’s film opportunities, and publicize community events.

In the beginning…

Lisa at a tap recital, age 4

When Lisa Grigsby was growing up around Washington, DC, she thought she was going to be a banker, “because I always liked playing with cash registers and money”. Her interest in finance continued after her family moved to Chicago. “My junior and senior years in high school, I had an accounting class that I absolutely adored”. She also served as her high school football team’s statistician. Working with numbers felt right to her, and she began college at the University of Oklahoma as an Accounting major.

Lisa chose the University of Oklahoma for two reasons: it had a football team and nice dorms. Although Oklahoma was “kind of culture shock”, she found a place with the football team as a trainer doing stats and other tasks. “I was the first woman team trainer in the Big Eight at the time…and my coach was not real pleased”. After several days of sending her “through (the dressing room) thinking it would rattle me”, he realized she was unflappable. She relished the work and says, “I got to go to some great bowl games”.

At the same time, Lisa discovered that accounting bored her. She stayed in business, however, and earned her degree in Marketing.

What did Lisa do after she graduated from college?

After graduation, Lisa returned to Chicago and got a job as a lingerie buyer for a department store. The job was more inventory management than marketing and lacked challenge. “I would dread getting up in the morning and going to work”. She lasted for nine months and quit.

While she considered her next steps, Lisa got a waitressing job. To her surprise, she recognized “that I really loved that”.

When she interviewed with the general manager, she noticed a picture of Phillips Crab House on the wall. She was familiar with Phillips from summer vacations and commented on the photo. After chatting for 30 minutes, the general manager created a plan to prepare Lisa for management by exposing her to all aspects of the restaurant. She waitressed, worked the bar, and finally spent time in the kitchen, so she would be able to perform any task.

One day a man sat down at one of her tables and pulled out a cigarette. In the 1980s, smoking was still permitted in restaurants. Lisa immediately pulled out her lighter and lit his cigarette. He said, “I really love your attitude,” and handed her a $100 bill. Then he introduced himself. He was Rich Melman, one of the LEYE owners and, thereafter, one of Lisa’s mentors.

Lisa had additional mentors who taught her the restaurant business, but eventually she was ready to move beyond Shaw’s. She found a manager’s spot in different restaurant.

How did football push Lisa into the comedy club business?

Lisa wanted to see the University of Oklahoma play in the Orange Bowl, but, since she was no longer with the team, she needed a second job to afford the trip. She started telemarketing for a comedy club, The Funny Bone Comedy Club and Restaurant in Chicago. She worked from 10am to 2pm, calling people to say, “You just won Yuck for a Buck!” She got paid $0.15 per person who actually attended the show. After 2pm, she went to her restaurant job.

When Lisa decided that it was time to leave her restaurant job, she told the Funny Bone’s manager she needed a job and he offered her one. At that time, Lisa had never been to a comedy show, so she didn’t know what to expect. The manager said, “It’s got to be like running a restaurant… you just help seat people”.

In the 1980s comedy clubs were hot. The Funny Bone was located inside a hotel. The club handled ticket sales, the door and the talent, and the hotel ran the restaurant and bar. The manager was a comic.

After observing people often tipped her in order to sit up front, Lisa convinced the manager to offer VIP seating for $5.00 and pay her $1.00 for each one. She also noticed the restaurant servers weren’t very attentive, so she met with the hotel’s food and beverage manager to let him know, “you’re missing sales and you’re leaving money on the table”. Each suggestion made her aware of the difference between the manager’s artistic brain and her business brain.

How did Lisa get started opening comedy clubs?

The Funny Bone’s corporate office noticed, “You guys are making a lot more money than you’ve ever made”. Consequently, the corporation’s representative came to visit. When he told Lisa they wanted to open another club, Lisa asked about their business and marketing plans. He said, “You’ve got a lot of questions; you want to do this?” He wrote Lisa a check for $50,000 and said, “Here’s your seed money; go find a place in Atlanta.”

Lisa identified the factors which helped the Chicago club draw an audience: the nearby presence of a TGI Fridays and close proximity to apartment complexes. She instructed a commercial realtor in Atlanta, “Find a spot that’s within a quarter mile of a TGI Fridays and it needs to be within a quarter mile of a highway”. The Atlanta club was successful and “I ended up opening 26 clubs around the country”.

Each time Lisa opened a new club, taking it from concept to operation, she chose the décor, contracted with vendors, hired staff and planned scheduling. She quickly “learned to take on more and more and not bother” the general office. Some clubs already had a manager, some wanted her to find a manager, and some said, “We’ve got this guy who’s not quite ready; see if you can get him in shape”.

Experience taught her to think quickly on her feet. “You have a show and you have a crowd full of people. The show starts at 8 o’clock and it’s 7 o’clock. (The limo company tells you the main act’s plane) is not going to land for another hour… all right what am I going to do?”

From football teams to comedy clubs, Lisa was used to working in male environments. “In the comedy club world, 90-95% comics are men” and it was her job to shepherd the them around town, including bars and strip clubs. “I had to take them to the radio in the morning… to promote the club…you’d knock on the door, they’d be hungover from being out drinking…I’d throw water on their face, get your clothes on!” “I just got used to working in that world”.

When did Lisa come to Dayton?

In 1991 Lisa had been working in comedy clubs for five years. She was in Covington, Kentucky teaching a new Funny Bone franchisee how to run the club, when she got a call seeking her recommendations for a manager for a comedy club in Dayton. Lisa asked, “Is it Wiley’s or Jokers?” The caller didn’t want to disclose that information, but Lisa pointed out, “Jokers has a full restaurant and bar and Wiley doesn’t, so they’re different skill sets”. She agreed to meet and signed a nondisclosure agreement in order to discuss the question further.

The club in question was Jokers Comedy Cafe. Mike Bowling, creator of the Pound Puppy stuffed animals, had opened the club in 1985 and “had never made a penny”. Lisa agreed to come to Dayton for 90 days. “We’ll turn the club around and get the numbers all in line, then we’ll find a manager”. After about 60 days, Lisa reported the club’s numbers looked good and recommended they hire a manager. Instead, Bowling offered her the job for a year. Lisa declined, because “Dayton was probably the smallest city I’d been in” and she knew nothing about it. “When I came here for 90 days, all I did was work that club”.

Bowling persisted. “At the time I had an apartment still in Cleveland, my winter clothes all in storage in St. Louis, expired plates on my car from Georgia and an expired driver’s license from Illinois, because all I was doing was going around from club to club”. Lisa decided that maybe it was time to settle in one place, “so I named what I thought was an outrageous amount of money and they said okay”. She agreed to stay for a year.

What led Lisa to work at Wiley’s Comedy Joint?

In 1992 Bowling sold the business to Tim Mehlman, a Cincinnati-based purchaser who had never owned a club. Lisa offered to stay for 90 days to teach him the business, and he agreed, but thereafter showed little interest. Consequently, Lisa continued to run the club. “At that point, I’d just gotten lazy…this is easy. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing”.

In 1993 all the paychecks bounced twice and Lisa handed in her notice. She agreed to stay on the condition that Mehlman remove himself as an authorized signer on the checking account, “so he couldn’t drain the club’s profits out of the account”. They continued to have disagreements, however, and a month later, Mehlman fired her without cause.

Wiley’s Comedy Joint, 101 Pine St, Dayton, OH 45402

Lisa immediately called Dan “Wiley” Lafferty of Wiley’s Comedy Joint, the other comedy club in Dayton. Over lunch, she offered to work for him for $100/week. “Until I figure out what my next step is… I got time on my hands and nothing to do”. When they went back to the club, Wiley interrupted their conversation to help move an ice machine. In the process, he cut his finger badly enough for a trip to the hospital, leaving Lisa alone at the club. In the course of that afternoon, she accepted deliveries, answered the phone and made reservations. “So I ended up working for Wiley’s”.

Since Lisa didn’t have a noncompete agreement with Jokers, she was free to call the agents handling the big name acts she’d booked at Jokers. She told them that if Jokers “doesn’t pay the deposit on this act, call me. I’ll honor that date at the club across town”. Three days later, the calls started coming in.

Gradually Lisa convinced Wiley to include urban comedy, which hadn’t been part of the repertoire. They “bring in a different crowd which means, hey, I have a larger audience to pull from”.

How did Lisa become the owner of Jokers Comedy Cafe?

In 1995 Mehlman defaulted on his balloon note, and Mike Bowling suddenly owned Jokers again. He convinced Lisa to return to help him understand the club’s situation. They learned that Mehlman hadn’t paid the sales tax, as well as owing numerous vendors. Lisa determined that Jokers owed around $65,000 in back sales taxes and even more to unpaid vendors. Bowling agreed that she would run Jokers for one year and at the end of the year, she would buy the business for the remaining amount of debt. A year later, Jokers was hers. Eventually, she bought the building, too.

In 1998 Lisa got involved in the Dayton community. It was summer and hot when a young woman came in to apply for a job wearing short shorts and a cropped top. When Lisa offered her something to drink, she asked for a beer. Lisa didn’t hire her. “That night it just kept bothering me. Why doesn’t she know any better? Who’s going to tell her?” The next day, Lisa searched for programs to train people for job readiness, and found a new program, Clothes That Work. She was their second volunteer.

Gradually Lisa realized that she liked Dayton. “You can do something in Dayton, have an idea, make it happen, watch it succeed and it doesn’t matter how deep your pockets are, because people here care and they will connect.”

When a prominent Dayton community leader, Doris Ponitz, suggested Lisa go through the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce’s yearlong Leadership Dayton program, Lisa balked. As a small business owner, it was expensive. She discovered, however, “it was a great eye opener to what Dayton has to offer, because I came here not really getting out of my little bubble, and I just worked in the club.” She gained an additional benefit. “It also made me have to trust my staff a little more, because I’d be away for a whole day, so they got to grow… That was a big growth experience for me”.

In the thirteeen years Lisa owned Jokers, she successfully operated in an essentially male-dominated business, expanding the club’s offerings with specialty shows, open-mike nights and corporate events. She also developed a reputation for nurturing rising young comedians.

In 2006 a tornado blew down the Jokers marquee and Miami Township wouldn’t allow Lisa to rebuild it. At the same time, The Funny Bone was about to open a 325-seat club at a new shopping and entertainment complex, The Greene. Lisa doubted Dayton was big enough for three comedy clubs, and she negotiated a merger of Jokers into the Funny Bone chain which included all of the Jokers staff. “I knew that this will either be great or a colossal failure, so I had a 6-month contract with them. I made it 9 months before they fired me”. Lisa fired an act she thought was “creepy and unethical”, but corporate management said, “you don’t run your own club anymore; this is our decision”.

Lisa loved the challenge of staging events for ARC in unusual venues, such as the Roundhouse at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. “It doesn’t have much electrical. It doesn’t have bathrooms, so it was a challenge to figure out how to make it work, how to put it together”. She was used to working frugally and finding ways to bring events in below budget added to the challenge.

By 2014 the ARC had become more “corporate” as the organization expanded in both scope and geographical reach, eventually rebranding itself as Equitas Health. “It wasn’t where I wanted to be anymore. It had become too many layers of corporate for the entrepreneur in me”.

During the process, DaytonCREATE founded FilmDayton as a film festival and identified the need for a community calendar. Dayton Most Metro, a downtown message board, became the source for event information and positive news and reviews. Lisa got involved in both.

When Lisa left the Aids Resource Center in 2014, FilmDayton was out of money. Lisa volunteered to work for the summer to get it on firm ground. Since then, she has continued as the Executive Director.

Previously, Dayton had partnered with Columbus and Cincinnati to petition the State of Ohio to adopt a tax incentive to foster a film industry in Ohio. The State created the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit (OMPTC), but it didn’t help Dayton much, because most movies were made in Cincinnati and Cleveland. In 2016 the Board of Trustees of FilmDayton decided to shift from a film festival to a film commission to market the area as a film production location. After Lisa earned her official certification as a film commissioner, FilmDayton relaunched as a film commission in April 2016.

As the film commissioner, Lisa reaches out to movie directors to encourage them to film in Dayton. “In a perfect world, you fly them in and get a copy of the script and go okay here’s what your script would look like in our town. (Except) FilmDayton doesn’t have any money, so that’s really hard to do”. Lisa works with Film Cincinnati to encourage producers to employ people from Dayton and promote Dayton as a scene location. For example, Miles Ahead, a biopic about Miles Davis, was based in Cincinnati, but the director filmed scenes at the Refraze Recording Studios in Kettering and the Montgomery County jail.

In order to demonstrate the economic impact, Lisa persuaded “a couple of the County Commissioners to come do a (movie) set tour, so they could see what goes into the business of film,” including the cast of 12 or 15, around 100 extras, a crew of 75, the food, the parking, etc. Consequently, the County awarded FilmDayton a small contract to expand its work.

Lisa pouring beer for Dayton Most Metro

In addition, Lisa developed Dayton Most Metro into an online magazine covering a variety of topics such as such as Arts & Entertainment, Dayton Music, Dayton Theatre, Active Living and Community. Dayton Dining is her favorite.

Dayton Dining Facebook page

She started Dayton Dining as a newsletter to publicize Dayton restaurants and eventually added it to Dayton Most Metro. “I think I still have the heart of a restaurateur and I know how hard it was when you’re in the day-to-day”. Restaurant owners may intend to work on marketing, but then “the dishwasher didn’t show”.

Also in May 2014, Lisa “decided to take the summer to put together a business plan to launch Planned2Give”, an event planning business she created with Jeff Jackson. Before they could finalize the plan, however, Jeff started getting calls. Many nonprofits recognized it was cheaper to hire Planned2Give than to keep an event planner on staff.

What is Lisa doing now?

Currently Lisa works part-time as the Executive Director of FilmDayton and runs Planned2Give with Jeff. She also manages Dayton Most Metro as a volunteer. It gives “me all these things to work on and I can work on all of them autonomously when I need to… Keeps me from doing the same old, same old”.

Lisa’s observations:

Take more chances

Figure out what success looks like for you, not for someone else

Meet people for the fun of it; don’t always have an ulterior motive

Don’t bitch; find a way to make it better

Get out of your comfort zone

Explore; there’s tons to do

Get involved

If what you want doesn’t exist, get out and start it

YWCA Dayton Women of Influence class of 2016

Find partners, trust them and don’t micromanage them

“Sometimes you have to do things just because, and not because it’s going to benefit you at that moment. You’re just building goodwill somewhere along the line”.

“The overriding thing to my whole life is I don’t panic…things are just going to happen as they’re supposed to. Or maybe they’re not the plan I had, but nobody knew that plan and however it comes out, it comes out…I never knew what comedy club I was going to open. I never had a plan to buy a comedy club. My fall back is always that I can still waitress… that gives you a lot of freedom. The worst that’s going to happen is they’ll fire me”.

FilmDayton’s first success in bringing a major motion picture to town, filmed in Dayton last April and has finally got a release date and a trailer.

Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker and his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public. Fox searchlight has announced it will be in select theaters 9.28.18.

The Old Man & the Gun, starring Robert Redford, Danny Glover, Casey Affleck and Sissy Spacek, spent 2 days last spring on Second Street and in the Liberty Tower as well as the roof of the Talbott Tower. The majority of the film was made in Cincinnati, but just those two days of filming created an economic impact of over $200,000. From hotel rooms at the UD Marriott, parking spaces at the Arts Garage, cranes from Art’s Rentals, cars and vans from Enterprise Rent A Car, coffee from Boston Stoker and Table 33, pizza from Marion’s, dry cleaning from Reiber Cleaners and location fees to local businesses used for sets and staging. Not to mention local crew hires that brought money and taxes to the region.

Films have been coming to Ohio on a much steadier basis since the creation of the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit in 2009. Currently there is $40 million dollars a year available in tax credits and that money has been fully exhausted in the last two year. There is currently legislation proposing an expansion of Ohio’s tax credit for motion pictures produced in the state H.B. 525 that would more than double the current motion picture tax credit from $40 million to $100 million. It also awards credits twice annually for productions that spend at least $300,000 in-state.

When the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit passed in 2009, it was estimated that it would generate an increase in local spending by $100 million and create 500 full-time equivalent jobs. A recent study conducted by Cleveland State University estimates that since 2009, the increase in media sector activity has resulted in:

$400 million in economic impact

Creation of 1,729 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs

$2.01 return on investment (for every $1.00 spent by the state, $2.01 went back into Ohio’s economy

FilmDayton is a local 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to advance the art, craft and business of film in the Dayton region. In 2016 they became the official Film Commission in the region. The organization serves as a convenient, all-encompassing resource for local, national and international producers and filmmakers to ensure great filming experiences while providing “concierge services” to all productions in town. Programs include industry trainings and seminars, regular networking events and access to industry-standard materials. These programs encompass the creative, business, as well as crew aspects of production to continue to build a comprehensive workforce. FilmDayton receives no money from the productions we help, but instead rely on donations and grants.

Want to see more films come to the Miami Valley? Support FilmDayton’s mission by becoming a member. Monies collected are used toward the development of programs, and education of local crew and to support the continued growth of local film production.

FilmDayton will present a 3 hour screenwriting workshop hosted by Screenwriting Staffing’s founder, Jacob N. Stuart on Tuesday, January 23rd starting at 6:30pm at the Dayton Metro Library. This class is open to anyone interested in writing for film, age 16 and older.

Pixar’s films, while always predictable, are box office successes — that know how to make us laugh, love, and cry in 90 minutes. There story beats have proven to work. Blake Snyder, the author of Save The Cat, has also alluded to the same adage. Many major studios use his book as a template on all major films.

The workshop will discuss all the major story beats: Opening Image, Theme Stated, Set-up, Catalyst, Debate. Break into Two, B Story, Fun & Games, Midpoint, All is Lost, Dark Night, Break into Three, Finale, Final Image.

Once you understand what works, you’ll learn how to break the rules.
You can’t write a blockbuster until you know how to format a script. Using David Trottier’s best-selling book, The Screenwriter’s Bible, we will breakdown each element of formatting an industry-standard script. We will go back and forth from softwares Final Draft and WriterDuet. We will also compare spec scripts vs shooting scripts.

Now that we have a formatted script, it’s time to cut. Having a formatted script will open the doors, but it’s not enough to create a sell. We will discuss how to pare down your prose to have a quick and easy read. White space is king. Say more with fewer words. How to keep the reader “reading”. How to manipulate “formatting” procedure to make your script read faster.

We will discuss Scott Myers (Trojan War, K-9) “writing scene description, think poetry instead of prose” theory. Maximum impact, minimum word. The great thing about screenwriting is we are not slaves to grammar. Our goal as a screenwriter is to convey our message visually, period. But, it’s not as easy (and lazy) as it sounds.

Now that we understand these notes, we will review 4 scripts that I believe nail this formula brilliantly (note: we will not review the actual movie, just the spec script): Whiplash, Slow West, Annabelle, & The Visitor. I’m a firm believer reading screenplays is more important than watching films, if you are a screenwriter.

We will spend our last hour discussing: how to sell your work outside of Hollywood, navigating your way through the screenplay contest/film festival world, writing for the low-budget, indie film world, utilizing the new wave of streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube Red, Facebook, etc), how to write a compelling query letter, the types of industry pros to network with, finding paid screenwriting work, and how to use social media to your benefit.

Jacob N. Stuart is an award-winning screenwriter, with over 20 scripts optioned and/or produced to screen, airing in over 10 different countries. His films have appeared in over 45 film festivals. He has taught screenwriting professionally at the Hollywood International Film Academy, was a longtime contributor with Creative Screenwriting Magazine and Screenwriting Standard, has spoke extensively at film seminars and film festivals across the country, including Universe Multicultural Film Festival, San Diego International Kids’ Film Festival, WriteStuff Writers Conference, among many more, and was previously the Screenplay Contest Director for the Cincinnati Film Festival. He graduated from The Los Angeles Film School in 2010, with a concentration in Screenwriting. He is currently a Board Member at the Historic Plaza Theatre in downtown Miamisburg.

Jacob is most notably known for being the Founder ofScreenwritingStaffing.com, an online screenwriting community that has facilitated over 150 screenplay sales, options, representations, and collaborations. For more on Jacob: www.imdb.me/jacobnstuart

Seminar is $40 for FilmDayton Members, $75 for nonmembers.
Register by 12/31/17 and save $5. Ticketing will be live on 12/19/17.

Today was my last day of screenings at TIFF 2017. I’ve been all around the world on this trip to Toronto, and I ended up beating my record by one film this year. In all (meaning I sat through each film entirely – I don’t count or report on the films I walk out of), I saw 34 movies…and I had a marvelous time.

My first film today was KINGS, directed by Deniz Gamze Erguyen. Because Erguyen had directed MUSTANG (nominated for “Best Foreign Film” Oscar in 2016), I was looking forward to this film about a family caught in the middle of the L.A. riots starring Halle Berry. Unfortunately, it’s a mess. The family dynamics are complicated (Berry is a single mother and a foster mother to several children). She bakes cakes for clients around town and relies on her oldest son to help keep all the kids in check. Daniel Craig plays a crazy next-door-neighbor who likes to yield and occasionally shoot a shotgun into the air. As racial tensions are escalating after the brutal police attack on Rodney King, Berry’s family is also going through transition…and everything starts to boil at the same time. Erguyen attempts to inject the film with some visual poetry of lava boiling under the earth’s surface, but tonally it doesn’t work with some of the silliness we’re seeing on screen (like Berry’s outer space sex dream). I wanted to like this film, but it just didn’t work.

Next up, I saw DON’T TALK TO IRENE, directed by Pat Mills. We had Mills as a guest at the Dayton LGBT Film Festival a couple years ago, and I’ve been anxious to see what he would do next. I’ll be honest, the trailer wasn’t doing much for me…but the film ended up being pretty terrific. This charming (yet unafraid to be crude) tale of an overweight high school outsider who wants to be a cheerleader is very funny and engaging. When she gets suspended at school, she has to do volunteer work at a retirement home as punishment. What results is hilarious and quite touching.

My last film of the day (and of the festival) was MY DAYS OF MERCY, directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer and shot in Cincinnati. Dayton’s own Karri O’Reilly served as executive producer, and she invited me to be her “Plus One” for a lovely dinner & the film’s international premiere with some of the cast and crew (including the director, the Director of Photography, folks from Killer Films and more). After the dinner, we all walked down the Red Carpet with fans, reporters and paparazzi clicking photos and hollering out for “Ellen” as we walked by (Ellen Page was right behind us, and everyone was hoping to get a great picture or an autograph). The film was introduced by the director and all the key people from the film were onstage and thanked. The film is a lovely, quiet romantic story about two women on opposing sides of the death penalty debate. Starring Ellen Page, Kate Mara, Amy Seimetz, and Charlie Shotwell – the performances are all very strong. This was the first time that many of the people involved with the film had seen it since the score had been added, and the crowd reaction went over quite well. I think this film will find distribution, which doesn’t hurt to help secure even more films from shooting in the area.

So now I’m done with TIFF 2017. I’ve seen some tremendous work, a few stinkers and quite few films that I think will do well at THE NEON.

Thanks so much for joining me on my cinematic journey. (Below are a few pics from last night’s premiere.)

See you at the movies,

Jonathan

MANY CONGRATS to Karri O’Reilly & Her Team for a great film and a great premiere!

About a year ago FilmDayton made a set visit with some City of Dayton workers down to Loveland, to observe the filming of Mercy. Executive Producer Karri O’Reilly, who is also a board member of FilmDayton showed us around the set, including the small bar they took over where Ellen Page was filming a scene, an alley where craft services had set up, around the block where the costume, make up and artist trailers where parked and so much more. The purpose of that visit was to show firsthand the impact a film can have on the local economy.

Tonight that film, now titled My Days of Mercy, is the focus of a Gala at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Oscar nominee Ellen Page as Lucy, the daughter of a man on death row. She and her sister Martha (Amy Seimetz) are regular attendees at state executions across the Midwest, where they demonstrate in favor of abolishing the death penalty. At one such event, Lucy spots and eventually falls for Mercy (Kate Mara), daughter of a police officer whose partner was killed by a man about to receive a lethal injection. Mercy is there to celebrate justice served.

This is the fourth film made by NY production company Killer Films in Ohio. “What initially brought us there was the state tax incentive,” said David Hinojosa, the company’s head of production and development. “It was very attractive.” The Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit provides a tax credit of 30 percent on production cast and crew wages plus other eligible in-state expenses. Killer leveraged the Ohio tax program by hiring a majority of its production crew from the region instead of bringing workers from out of state.

O’Reilly explains that while the film was based in Cincinnati, due to the geographic closeness of our cities, a film being made in the region is a win for FilmDayton. Whether it’s hiring crew or using local vendors, the Dayton and Cincinnati markets often overlap and that helps the Miami Valley, which is just starting to establish its film commission.

When a film like Mercy debuts at a major festival, O’Reilly explains that “it means lots of good recognition” for Ohio. Area films are repeatedly showing up at the major film festivals. The Killing of a Sacred Deer starring Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman debuted at Canne this year. In 2016 three Ohio films debuted at Sundance: Goat (which O’Reilly co-produced), The Land and The Fits.

These movies mean jobs and money for our region. The Mercy spend was about $225,000 and the recent Robert Redford that shot for 2 days in downtown Dayton spent over $8000 with the City of Dayton for police services and parking, $7000 on hotel rooms at the UD Marriott, hired over 100 extras and had a crew of 75, used a local dry cleaner, bought late night pizzas from Marion’s Piazza and became repeat customers at Table 33. Crew payroll added even more to the local spend.

FilmDayton works to bring these jobs to town that pay well, are mainly union positions which means benefits and pensions for our local filmmakers. “Being able to offer Wright State University motion picture students hands on experience in their chosen career field is a real benefit to the region,” shares FilmDayton’s Lisa Grigsby, “and and go along way to keeping young, talented filmmakers in our community. We don’t receive any funds from the productions we work to bring to town, we depend on contributions, and sponsorships from those that understand the economic impact these productions have on our town. You can help keep the spotlight on the Miami Valley by making a contribution, volunteering your house, office or property to be added to our location database or volunteering for FilmDayton.”

I’m starting to slow down. A bit exhausted and a little sore (eyes, butt, etc.), it was time to scale back to four screenings today. Tomorrow will be my last day, and I’ll see even fewer because I have a big event on the books. Dayton-based producer Karri O’Reilly (who has worked on numerous feature-length films around the world including BLUE CAR and CAROL) has a film premiering tomorrow night – MY DAYS OF MERCY (which shot in Cincinnati) – and she has invited me to be part of the festivities. You’ll get all the latest before I head out of town on Saturday afternoon.

My first film for today was FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL, directed by Paul McGuigan. Starring Annette Bening and Jamie Bell, this is the story of movie star Gloria Grahame and the last of her May-December romances. At first, I found Bening’s accent and whispy delivery a little hard to take, but I eventually accepted it and fell for the chemistry of her and Jamie Bell (who is absolutely darling in this film). The film has a jumpy structure, and I fear that some of our regulars (who prefer linear storylines) might get a little confused regarding the timeline. Regardless, I think this is a film that could do well for us – especially if Bening gets an Oscar nomination.

MUDBOUND, directed by Dee Rees (PARIAH), was my second film of the day. This film will get a very limited release (NYC and LA) and then go straight to streaming service on Netflix…which is too bad – because it works really well on a big screen. That said, I think it will still be a big award contender this year. With multiple protagonists/narrators, this is the story of two families in the deep South during World War II. The racial tensions are heavy, and the stories are so well developed – a white family and a black family are trying to do the best they can for their families as they farm their land and try to encourage their children to excel. This film, though set 80 years ago, is very timely…and it will break your heart.

DARKEST HOUR, directed by Joe Wright, has a lot of Oscar buzz for Gary Oldman playing Winston Churchill. This is a film about the weeks leading up to Dunkirk…which has been a very popular theme this year (CHURCHILL, THEIR FINEST, DUNKIRK, and some television too). This film is very polished and has some really wonderful moments, but I don’t completely agree with the Oscar buzz. Is it a complete transformation? Absolutely! But I think his performance borders on camp – as some of his choices are very hammy and singsongy. So I’m guessing I’ll be in the minority on this one.

MARROWBONE, directed by Sergio Sanchez (THE ORPHANAGE), was my final film of the day. This ghost story/thriller is in the vein of THE OTHERS and SIXTH SENSE – but is clearly made for a more tweenage crowd. It’s the story of a group of kids who lock themselves away from the world after the death of their mother. With lovely photography and successful moments intended to make your jump, it works on a certain level…but the story too conveniently leaves out important plot points so it can reveal them later – which feels like cheating. I also felt like some of the revelations were trite while others were genuinely fresh.

Only one day of screenings left. In some respects, those first movies I saw exactly a week ago seem so far away…but it also seems like I just got here yesterday.

I’m going to try and get a good night of sleep so I don’t scare people with bloodshot eyes tomorrow.

And the Oscar goes to…

Will the night belong to “Moonlight” or “La La Land”? With 14 nominations, “La La Land” has tied the Oscar nominations record with “All About Eve” and “Titanic.” Will the movie musical sweep the ceremony, matching or surpassing the Oscar record of 11 wins (by “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”)? While unlikely, it’s possible. “La La Land” also breaks other records. It’s the first musical with original music and story to receive a Best Picture nomination since 1979’s “All That Jazz” and 1945’s “Anchors Aweigh.” Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan are the first female team to be nominated for Sound Editing for the film.

You can help support FilmDayton by filling out your online ballot and making a $20 donation to be in the running for our grand prize.

The ballot with the most correct answers will win a24″ Samsung ‘Smart’ Flat screen TV, compatible Blue Ray DVD player, and a selection of Oscar Winning movies/or films featuring Oscar winners. In the case of a tie, winning ballots will be placed in a box and one winner will randomly drawn. We’ll announce our winner at FilmDayton’s Oscar Watch Party being held at the Historic Plaza Theatre located at 33 S Main St, Miamisburg, Ohio 45342. It’s free to join us to watch the Oscars, but we do request you reserve a ticket online, to make sure we’ll have enough seats for all. The concession stand will be open, we’ll have Oscar Bingo Cards for sale and a raffle to support the works of FilmDayton.

Over the past 25 years, the winner of the “feature film” category at the Directors Guild awards went on to win the Academy Award for best director 21 times. A perennial favorite to watch, Best Actress category once again looks like it’ll be competitive. A surprise win at the Golden Globes put Isabelle Huppert back in the conversation just as it looked like Natalie Portman would be dueling Emma Stone for the prize. Stone’s wins at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts have made her the clear leader. The Screen Actors Guild’s choice for best actor has gone on to win at the Academy Awards 18 out of the past 22 years, so that’s the show to watch. Casey Affleck has been cleaning up at the critics awards, but any category with Denzel Washington in it is far from decided.

So whether you’ve seen all the films nominated or not, do a little online research and fill out your ballot online!

Ohio Governor John Kasich has signed into law the revised Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit, passed by the Ohio General Assembly, which raises the annual movie production incentive, doubling the cap to $40 million and changes the incentive rate to 30% on all production dollars spent in Ohio.

This new incentive elevates Ohio to the competitive level of states like Georgia and Louisiana, which currently lead the country in film production. Since passing the film incentive in 2009, over $100 million has been rebated to production companies, shooting movies in Ohio. Of that money 90% has gone to Cleveland and Cincinnati projects.

In April of this year, FilmDayton reorganized itself into a Film Commission, to get a seat at the table to bring some of those jobs to the Miami Valley. “We have the locations, amenities and crew base to bring film work to town. We are currently working to rally the support of the city and surrounding counties to help the Greater Dayton area benefit from the economic development the Motion Picture Tax Rebate can deliver” says FilmDayton Executive Director Lisa Grigsby.

According to an economic impact study conducted by the Economics Center at the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati has generated more than $54 million for the Greater Cincinnati economy as well as created more than 8,800 jobs through motion picture and television productions over the last two years.

Joel, in character for a recent production.

Yellow Springs filmmaker Joel Levinson, currently raising funds for a feature he hopes to shoot in the area, reacts to the increase in the tax rebate. “It’s going to create a sustainable model for long-term film growth in the area.”

Since July 2011, the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit has accounted for the creation of the equivalent of 1,729 full-time jobs, and over $400 million of total economic impact in the Cleveland area.

“The city of Columbus just earmarked $90,000 to jumpstart FilmColumbus, and so far Dayton has been working with private donations to run our commission,” shares Grigsby. According to FilmDayton President Shaunn Baker, “Dayton is just prime for a small $5-$10 million production. Booking hotel nights, catering, and locations would bring direct dollars to our community. Not to mention putting to work our local crew.”

“I really feel like this is our time where Dayton can really bring in those filmmakers from LA and New York to produce something amazing,” Kathleen Hartshorn said. Hartshorn is a local production manager, she says Dayton offers low prices and hardworking crews. “Being able to come here, you’re going to be able to take a multi-million-dollar film and produce it at half that cost,” Hartshorn said.

Last year’s $20 million dollars in rebates were all accounted for by mid-winter, thus the doubling of the budget for fiscal year 2016-17. This year’s $40 Million in rebates will start being awarded July 1st and applications are already cued and awaiting certification. Film Budgets must be a minimum of $300,000 to apply for the program.

FilmDayton -The Greater Dayton Area Film Commission is the only 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to fostering economic development in the Miami Valley by attracting media production and businesses that can make a significant economic impact on the local economy. We promote the art, craft and business of film by developing our local workforce and providing programs designed to provide local talent with the training, experience and professional connections to enable them to succeed in the film industry.